"The Sovereignty of God and the Free Will of Man":
(Our choice versus God's choice)
Submitted to Dr. Larry Mcdonald
THEO 525-Section D01
Systematic Theology 1
By
Jeremy Roberts
February 7th, 2020
Thesis Statement:
This research conducted will focus on the will of God and how our own choices
can affect every outcome of God’s plan for our lives.
The Need for the Study
This is an important study because the information will describe debatable matters
that we could have with others concerning this topic. Atheists seem to always be fond of
questioning God’s authoritative power by people having the free will to choose.
Academic controversy would involve subjects such as predestination, elect and
foreknowledge. These terms can lead into a theological discussion or debate depending
on where a person is coming from. From a historical context, God made the heavens and
the Earth. Psalm 136:6 states: “Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He in heaven, and
in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.” This is one example in history of the power of
God. In regards to free will, this stems back from Adam and Eve in the garden.
Partaking in the tree of knowledge, allowed us to realize that we no longer could live life
without consequence. We have the free will to make mistakes, sin, and do good to others
as well. God didn’t want us to live with free will from the context of having regrets, but
that was the choice we made from the beginning. (GN 2:9)
The procedure of the Study:
In the first section of the research paper I will include an introductory paragraph
that includes a brief overview of what will be discussed. This will come after the thesis
statement and will flow together with the statement as well. The next section will focus
on God and who He is to us. This section will detail His character as well as a broad
variation of His foreordinations and predestination position in dealing with His sovereign
power. The section will also focus on the concept behind our freedom and what it means
to have obtained this as being a child of God and so forth. The next section will go into
the overall problems behind this concept and what solutions can be presented to believers
and non-believers alike. Inside this section will also include scriptures, as well as
quotations from a variety of references that have struck a cord for theological discussions.
The solutions for the problem will also come from scripture as well. The last few section
closing up the next few pages will include what open theism is and passive knowledge. I
will sum this up with what our choice is and should be to be able to obtain the best results
from our choices. These decisions will also be lined up with God’s will. I will then
include a conclusive statement and challenge that brings up our own lives in regards to
how we have taken scripture into context and I will also piece together how God’s
sovereignty would not work correctly and the way it does without our own free will. The
last section on a separate page will include a 12 source bibliography
Bibliography:
ANDERSON, M. B. (2010). Molinism, open theism, and soteriological luck. Religious
Studies 47, (3), 371-381. doi:10.1017/s0034412510000375
Boloje, B. O., & Groenewald, A. (2016). ‘I know you can do all things’ (Job 42:2): A
literary and theological analysis of Job’s testimony about Yahweh’s
sovereignty. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 72(1).
doi:10.4102/hts.v72i1.3356
Devellennes, C. (2017). Atheism, secularism and toleration: Towards a political
atheology. , (2), 228-247. Contemporary Political Theory 16
doi:10.1057/cpt.2016.13
Hussey, P. (2019). Debated Issues in Sovereign Predestination: Early Lutheran
Predestination, Calvinian Reprobation, and Variations in Genevan Lapsarianism,
by Joel R. Beeke. , (2), 173-174. Journal of Reformed Theology 13
doi:10.1163/15697312-01302005
Lee, K. S. (2008). God's Absolute Sovereignty and Human Free Will : Young San's
Understanding of Man's Cooperation with God. Journal of Youngsan
Theology 12, , 64. doi:10.18804/jyt.2008.02.12.64
Long, D. S. (2019). Thomas Aquinas’ Divine Simplicity as Biblical
Hermeneutic. , (3), 496-507. doi:10.1111/moth.12510Modern Theology 35
Luther and Calvin’s divine determinism. (n.d.). Predestination : A Guide for the
Perplexed. doi:10.5040/9780567661791.ch-004
Moreiras, A. (2004). A God Without Sovereignty. Political Jouissance. The Passive
Decision. , (3), 71-108. CR: The New Centennial Review 4
doi:10.1353/ncr.2005.0023
Stanley, T. (2018). The Pragmatist Question of Sovereignty. , (2), Political Theology 20
139-156. doi:10.1080/1462317x.2018.1559006
Voskuil, D. (2011). God in an Open Universe. Process Studies, 40(1), 176-179.
doi:10.5840/process201140115
WELLUNSCHEG, M. (n.d.). An Examination From A Johannine Perspective: The
Paradox of The Sovereignty of God And The Free Will Of Man At The Point of
Conversion. doi:10.2986/tren.048-0165
Yöney, F. (2019). An Examination of the Biblical Evidence for Open Theism. The
Heythrop Journal. doi:10.1111/heyj.13338
